College Football Roundup: Maryland Hires Coach

Maryland interim head coach Mike Locksley during the first quarter against Penn State at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Locksley, Alabama's offensive coordinator, has been mentioned as a candidate to succeed DJ Durkin at Maryland, and a few Baltimore Ravens players said Wednesday they support such a move. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS)

The Associated Press

Tuesday, December 04, 2018

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College Park, Md. — Maryland hired Alabama offensive coordinator Mike Locksley as its football coach Tuesday night, bringing home a familiar presence after the most tumultuous year in the program’s recent history.

Locksley will take over after a season defined by tragedy and turmoil. Offensive lineman Jordan McNair died of heatstroke in June after a spring practice, and in the wake of his death came allegations of bullying and intimidation by coach DJ Durkin and one of his assistants.

Durkin spent more than two months on administrative leave while independent investigations were conducted into McNair’s death and the culture surrounding the team. The governing board for the state university system decided to reinstate Durkin on Oct. 30, a decision that prompted widespread outrage and protests by players. University president Wallace Loh fired Durkin the next day.

Matt Canada served as interim coach this fall and presided over a 5-7 season. He was credited with keeping the team together under difficult circumstances and he interviewed for the permanent job, but Maryland instead went with Locksley, who had two previous stops with the Terrapins.

Locksley, who won the Broyles Award on Tuesday as the nation’s top assistant coach, was Maryland’s running backs coach from 1997-2002, and later returned as the program’s offensive coordinator from 2012-15.

Locksley spent the last three years at Alabama, including last season as co-offensive coordinator and this year as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator.

It is Locksley’s first chance to be a full-time head coach since he went 2-26 at New Mexico from 2009-11. He was Maryland’s interim coach for the final six games of the 2015 season after Randy Edsall’s firing, going 1-5.

Louisville Turns to Appalachian State Coach

The University of Louisville Athletic Association unanimously approved the hiring of the former Appalachian State coach on Tuesday. Satterfield, who received a six-year contract with a base annual salary of $1.625 million and another $1.625 million for media obligations, was introduced at a news conference later on Tuesday at Cardinal Stadium.

Satterfield was hired nearly a week after Jeff Brohm said he was staying at Purdue. The 45-year-old Satterfield guided the Mountaineers to a 51-24 record with three bowl wins in six seasons.

“I’m so excited to be here,” said Satterfield, who was cheered as he entered the club at Cardinal Stadium.

“We’ve had a lot of success over the past four years and there’s been opportunities, but this is the right one.”

Satterfield replaces Bobby Petrino, who was fired Nov. 11 after a 2-8 start to the fifth season of his second stint as coach. Lorenzo Ward lost the final two games as Louisville’s interim coach.

Trump to Attend Army-Navy Game

President Donald Trump will attend Saturday’s Army-Navy Game in Philadelphia.

The White House confirmed Trump’s attendance to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Trump also went to the 2016 game when he was president-elect.

Trump will be the 10th sitting president to attend Army-Navy, a tradition that began with Theodore Roosevelt in 1901.

Barack Obama was the most recent president to attend the game, in 2011 at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said at the annual pregame luncheon in Philadelphia last week that that school is always prepared for the president to attend.

The 108th football meeting between Army and Navy will be the 20th game attended by a president. The Commander-in-Chief traditionally switches sides of the field at halftime.